Twitter’s latest experimental account uses direct messages to send users updates on milestones such as how many times you’ve been retweeted and favorited. It’s called @AchievementBird, and it appears to work in much the same way as other Twitter experiments like @MagicRecs and @EventParrot.

If you’re following @AchievementBird, Twitter will send direct messages with statistics about how your accounts and tweets are performing. The account is set to private and my request to follow a few hours ago hasn’t been approved yet.

In reply to Williams’ tweet, Vasely Sapunov tweeted that he’s been using @AchievementBird “for a couple of months” and says that he gets a direct message every day at 5:01. (I’m guessing that’s AM.)

Twitter already offers these same statistics via its ads.twitter.com platform, and other services also provide basic stats about tweet and account performance. Twitter may be betting that direct messages are the most convenient way to get this data to interested users and reward their daily accomplishments.

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About The Author

Matt McGee is the Editor-In-Chief of Search Engine Land. His news career includes time spent in TV, radio, and print journalism. After leaving traditional media in the mid-1990s, he began developing and marketing websites and continued to provide consulting services for more than 15 years. His SEO and social media clients ranged from mom-and-pop small businesses to one of the Top 5 online retailers. Matt is a longtime speaker at marketing events around the U.S., including keynote and panelist roles. He can be found on Twitter at @MattMcGee and/or on Google Plus. You can read Matt's disclosures on his personal blog.